Apple Wireless Keyboard

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Apple Wireless Keyboard
Apple-wireless-keyboard-aluminum-2007.jpg
The current Apple Wireless Keyboard
Developer Apple Inc.
Type Wireless keyboard
Release date September 16, 2003
Website Apple.com - Keyboard

The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and the iPad. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use.

Contents

[edit] History

On September 16, 2003, the first Apple Wireless Keyboard was introduced at the Apple Expo.[1] The device required four AA batteries, and had an On/Off switch on the bottom. It lacked wires and USB ports, but otherwise was cosmetically the same as the wired version.

The wireless keyboard matches the Apple Keyboard's slim profile

On August 7, 2007, Apple released a completely redesigned model of the Apple Wireless Keyboard. Like the wired Apple Keyboard, the new model is thinner than its predecessors and has an aluminum enclosure. Another addition is the new functions added to the function keys, such as media controls and Dashboard control. Unlike the previous version, the Wireless Keyboard now has a layout similar to the MacBook. The power button has been relocated to the right side of the keyboard, and the key layout does not include a numerical typepad. At the beginning the caps lock key included accidental press prevention; the key must be held down for a moment for Caps Lock to engage. This behavior was not configurable, and had frustrated users who remap Caps Lock to a different modifier, such as Control.[2] This was fixed later with firmware update 1.0, despite the fact not being mentioned in the release notes of the update.[3] This keyboard required only three AA batteries, one fewer than its predecessor.

In October 2009, a slightly revised third model was released. New model number A1314 replaced the A1255, two years and two months after the initial release. The new model now uses only two AA batteries instead of three originally. Additionally, Mac OS X 10.5.8 is now the minimum OS over the original Mac OS X 10.4.10. This model of keyboard become standard with new generation of iMacs introduced on the same day.

Although Apple includes support solely for Macintosh computers, it can also be used on a Windows PC providing that a Bluetooth receiver and appropriate Bluetooth stack is installed and properly configured. Enabling use of the 'Fn' and 'Eject' keys will require customization using a generic HID driver.[4] Enabling the multimedia keys and remapping keys, such as assigning 'Del' to the 'Eject' key is also possible.

[edit] Languages and layouts

A keyboard layout with an elongated Enter key is available for US English and Japanese.

Keyboard layouts with L-shaped Enter keys are available in:

  • Arabic
  • Belgian
  • Croatian
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English (International)
  • English (UK)
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hungarian
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish
  • Swedish
  • Swiss
  • Turkish F
  • Turkish Q

[edit] Boot Camp: Apple Wireless Keyboard keyboard mapping in Windows

Due to the missing keys for Windows PC's (such as the PrintScreen Key), Apple has made mappings. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1171

Examples:

Windows Keyboard Equivalent
PrintScreen Fn + Shift + F11
Pause/Break Fn + Shift + F12 (Fn + Esc on 2009 iMacs)
Editing Home Fn +
Editing End Fn +
PageDown Fn +
PageUp Fn +
Forward Delete Fn + Delete
Insert Fn + Enter

Note. These keyboard mappings will work on an iMac operating under Windows 7 when running Boot Camp, but may not work if you select the Boot Camp option of "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys"

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Apple Introduces Wireless Keyboard & Mouse", Apple PR Statement
  2. ^ apple's antiCAPSLOCK
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ AutoHotkey lexikos HID sample script

[edit] External links

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